Engineering Works

Engineering works will be taking place on 22nd, 23rd, 24th & 27th December. View the amended timetable here. For details on Christmas travel, visit our Christmas travel page. For live updates, please see our Twitter/X.
train tracks
lumo train tracks

railway industrial action

information about Lumo services affected by industrial action

Lumo will not be impacted by strike action announced by other operators so our services will run as normal. Some of the weekends do have engineering works so please check our engineering works page for the latest information and changes to timetables. Please plan ahead and check your entire journey before travelling. 

Last updated: 16 August

FAQs

This page shows you all up-to-date information and dates for upcoming RMT and/or ASLEF industrial strike action. We will let you whether the strike action affects Lumo train services, we will always seek to operate as many services as we can and will do our very best to resume normal service as soon as possible. We aren't however part of the RMT campaign therefore we will run our services as normal.

If you have booked a ticket through Lumo for another operator, please check their respective website or social platform to see if they have been affected by strike action.

No, Lumo was not part of any ballot to take strike action and we will seek to operate as many of our services as possible.

We expect all our services to be extremely busy during this period, therefore tickets for other operators will not be valid for travel on Lumo services during the strike period. We highly recommend reserving a seat for your comfort, especially with all services being busier than usual due to the industrial action.

Whilst Lumo colleagues were not balloted and are not part of the RMT campaigns and are not included in plans for any strike action, the recent industrial action announced by the RMT may involve Network Rail colleagues who operate signalling systems and other Train Operating Companies colleagues who manage facilities at stations, all of which may impact Lumo services. Our amended timetables can be found here.

If Lumo is to be affected by any industrial action, we will always seek to operate as many services as we can and will do our very best to resume a normal service as soon as possible. 

Please check ahead of travelling, particularly with regard to the first and last services of the day.

Tickets will be made available for services which are confirmed to be running during the industrial action period, until all seats have been sold. We highly recommend reserving a seat for your comfort, especially with all services being busier than usual due to the industrial action. If you already have a ticket and your train has been cancelled, we have made arrangements for your ticket to be accepted on any alternative Lumo service on the seven days prior to or following your day of travel, subject to seats remaining available on your chosen service. You will be required to make a mandatory reservation for your selected alternative Lumo service, which can be done through Twitter: @lumotravel,  at a ticket office or via lumo.reservations@lumo.co.uk providing the following:

  • Departure time
  • Origin station
  • Time of travel
  • Number of customers
  • Seating preference (forward facing / backward facing / table)

There is industrial action taking place across the network. Lumo is one of the few train operators still running services, which means trains are likely to be busier than usual. Reservations are mandatory on all of our services and you will only be able to travel with a valid reservation.  We apologise for any inconvenience. 

The RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) is a trade union specialising in the transport sector, whose members include workers within the rail industry.  The ASLEF (The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) is the UK's Train Drivers' Union.  The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) is an independent trade union for the transport and travel trade industries with members across the UK and Ireland.

The RMT, TSSA & ASLEF unions separately balloted its members to vote for strike action in a dispute about pay, jobs & conditions.

Lumo was not part of any ballots to take strike action. We are hopeful that all parties can reach a positive resolution so normal services can resume as soon as possible. We are very sorry for the impact the situation may have on customers and every option is being explored to ensure we are able to get as many customers as possible to where they need to go.

The industrial action will take place across the network and various Train Operating Companies.  We recommend checking the National Rail websiteIf a connecting service operated by another train company is affected by the industrial action, you can claim a refund through the point of purchase for the entire journey should you wish not to travel.

You will be able to book assisted travel for services that will run on strike days once the timetable is confirmed. If customers have booked Passenger Assist services, and journeys are cancelled, customers will be contacted directly to make alternative arrangements. Our dedicated Passenger Assist team will be available 24/7. Further details can be found here.

The unions have a mandate for industrial action that lasts for six months from the date of the original ballot. This means that the unions could call industrial action (which includes strike action) during this timeframe. 

Arrangements for connection tickets will be announced once the industry arrives at an agreement for days affected by industrial action.  

Lumo has been busy planning for this and has sought to operate as many of our services as possible. If the train on which you are booked is not cancelled, then it will continue to run as normal, therefore please arrive at the station in plenty of time for the departure of your train.  LumoFixed tickets may only be used on your booked train. As your service has not been affected or cancelled, normal conditions apply to your ticket. Customers with Anytime tickets may travel on an alternative train but must reserve a seat before travel. 

We highly recommend reserving a seat for your comfort, especially with all services being busier than usual due to the industrial action. Please check your return journey ahead of travelling.  Please plan ahead. We look forward to welcoming you on board.

LumoFixed tickets may only be used on the booked train unless the service has been cancelled. Customers with Anytime tickets may travel on an alternative train but must reserve a seat before travel.
If industrial action is cancelled and you have not changed your ticket, your original seat for the service you were booked would still be valid. If you have changed your ticket, you must use the new ticket and reservations.

Whilst Lumo doesn't retail season tickets, normal refund conditions apply for Season ticket holders, if you no longer wish to use your ticket. You can request a refund from where you bought it. If you do travel using your Season ticket and the strike action means your journey with Lumo is delayed by 30 minutes or more, you can claim Delay Repay compensation within 28 days of the journey here.

Lumo has sought to operate as many of our services as possible during this time, but unfortunately due to the impact of the industrial action some booked services have been cancelled.

If you decide not to travel, please request a refund of your ticket from your ticket retailer.  If you bought your ticket using the Lumo website or app, please visit our refund website at: https://refunds.lumo.co.uk/

Customers with tickets for travel on a strike day can instead use their ticket on an alternative date.

Trains running on days either side of strike days are likely to be very busy and a seat cannot be guaranteed without a reservation.

If the ticket includes the London Underground it will not be valid on London Underground services on an alternative date.

We highly recommend reserving a seat for your comfort, especially with all services being busier than usual due to the industrial action, which can be done  by emailing us at lumo.reservations@lumo.co.uk stating the following:

•           Departure time

•           Origin station

•           Time of travel

•           Number of customers

•           Seating preference (forward facing / backward facing / table)

Please DO NOT use this email address for anything other than requesting a seat reservation change.  For all other enquiries relating to strikes please use our webforms to contact us at:
https://www.railhelp.co.uk/lumo

Your journey may take longer and be busier than usual. Please check ahead of travelling.

If you are travelling with an alternative operator as part of a connecting journey with Lumo, please contact the relevant Train Operating Company that provides that service for further information.

If you travel and are delayed for 30 minutes or more, you are entitled to Delay Repay compensation. Claims can be made up to 28 days after your journey from our Delay Repay portal here.

If a service has been cancelled, customers are able to claim a fee-free refund through the normal channels.

If your outward journey lands on a strike day, you can claim for a fee free refund for any unused tickets for both outward and return travel, even if the return ticket is not affected by strike action.

A fee free refund can also be claimed for both outward & return unused tickets if your return is affected by strike action.

If you purchased your ticket via Lumo, you can apply for a refund on your unused ticket via our Portal.  

If you purchased your ticket from another retailer, such as the Trainline, please request your refund directly from your point of purchase.

There will be no replacement buses on strike days except if pre-planned engineering work is taking place. This is because there simply aren’t enough buses available to replace the service.